Historic Route Tour (178447),Holiday Packages to Addis Ababa, Bahir Dar

Package Overview

Ethiopia is a unique and secluded country. It has never been colonised by a European power, and as a result the people have retained a strong cultural identity and are renowned for their warmth and hospitality. It possesses some of the most impressive architecture found anywhere, particularly at Lalibela, where the rock-hewn churches have been described as the Eighth Wonder of the World. The landscape is equally memorable and Ethiopia is home to some of the finest mountain scenery in Africa. The Simien Mountains, famed for their volcanic pinnacles, are particularly beautiful. This World Heritage Site is home to the Walia Ibex, Gelada Baboons and the rare Ethiopian Wolf. Festivals in Ethiopia are colourful events with plenty of pageantry, music and dancing. We run six trips to coincide with these festivals. In January we attend Timkat, the most important festival in the calendar, which celebrates Epiphany. In September we attend the Meskal festival which has been celebrated for over 1600 years. In March we have a special departure visiting the Tigrai region of Ethiopia.

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Day wise Itinerary

Day 1 :

A welcoming reception and transfer to your hotel by your guide . Visit the colorful and vibrant city Addis Ababa regarded by many as ‘The African diplomatic capital’. Enjoy its gorgeous climate of seemingly perpetual blue sky and cool high land air. Visit its museums the ethnological, natural history, St. George Cathedral, the national museum. These rank among the most important sub-Saharan museums in Africa. Late in the afternoon enjoy, the terrific and windy panoramic view of Addis Ababa below the Entoto Mountains.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 2 :

We will start our journey today with a drive to Bahir Dar. 501 Km, Drive time –7 – 9 .Visit one of Ethiopia’s most holy sites, the monastery of Debre Libanos which was founded in the 13th century. The site is beautifully set beneath a cliff on the edge of gorge and is a peaceful place to wonder. There is a good chance of seeing gelada baboon and lammergeyer along the way. Then proceed to a truly magnificent Blue Nile gorge where you will admire the expansive views over terraced slops and euphorbia studded cliffs on the opposite wall. It is the most dramatic stretches of road in Ethiopia dropping over 1000m.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 3 :

A full day visit of Bahirdar. It is a small but fast growing town on the southern shore of Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile. It has long attracted religious men and the area contains numerous churches and monasteries, many of them on the thirty or so islands of Lake Tana.   Have a boat excursion to Lake Tana islands and medieval monasteries of Kibran Gabriel, Mitsle Fasiledes & Tana Cherkos. The most famous is Ura Kidanemihret of the Zege peninsula with its very beautiful painted temples.

In the afternoon we travel to the Tississat, or Blue Nile, Falls, located about thirty kilometers from Lake Tana. It is still amazing to see the Blue Nile pouring over the fern-fringed lip to be channelled into the incredibly narrow gorges on its journey to Khartoum in Sudan. We take a gentle walk to the falls (approx two hours round trip) before stopping to admire them. From here we head back to the river for a short boat ride to meet the vehicle. (N.B. A shorter visit to the falls can be arranged for those who don’t want such a long walk).
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 4 :

Visit Ethiopian medieval capital Gondar, with its large royal enclosure containing grand castles, palaces, houses and outbuildings. See King Fasiladas’s palace, the oldest and perhaps most impressive of the castles. Behind the castle are various ruined buildings including the remains of a bathing pool, a chancellery and a library of Fasiladas’s son Yohannes I. Marvel at Debre Birhan Selassie, one of the country’s most famous churches that lies
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 5 :

Leaving Gondar behind and continue the journey 8 hours of driving through the foothills of the Simien Mountains to reach the ancient town of Axum in the far north of Ethiopia. The roads here are very tough, but rewarded with more truly breathtaking scenery.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 6 :

A full day visit in Aksum, where a high civilization had risen several centuries before the birth of Christ. They are ‘the last of the great civilizations of antiquity to be revealed to modern knowledge’. Aksum’s astonishing Stelae strike you for their huge size, their incredible, almost pristine preservation and their curiously modern look. Sculpted from single pieces of granite to look like multistoried buildings. Though the stone is famously hard, Aksum’s masons worked it superbly often following a set design.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 7 :

Journey to a little visited but peaceful and astonishing spot ‘Yeha’ which is Ethiopia’s first known capital and considered the birth place of the country’s earliest civilization. Its ruins are impressive for their sheer age, dating from around the 5th century BC. Also the monastery of Debre Damo which is the first monastery in Ethiopia dates back to Aksumite times. It boasts the oldest standing church in the country.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 8 :

journeying through more incredible mountainous scenery in central Ethiopia to reach the small medieval town of Lalibela.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 9 :

Have a full day visit to first cluster of rock-hewn churches in the morning . These churches are Ethiopia’s top attraction. The churches are mostly cut from solid rock, and therefore have the appearance of being underground. The most famous church is Bete Giorgis (St George, patron saint of Ethiopia), carved in the form of a Greek cross. It is exceptionally well preserved and visually almost flawless.
probably one of the most fascinating places not only in Ethiopia but also in the world. In fact it was included in the World Heritage list by the UNESCO. Lalibela is one of Ethiopia’s holiest cities, second only to Axum, and is a center of pilgrimage for much of the country. Unlike Aksum, the population of Lalibela is almost completely Ethiopian Orthodox Christian. Lalibela was intended to be a New Jerusalem in response to the capture of Jerusalem by Muslims in 1187, and many of its historic buildings take their name and layout from buildings in Jerusalem b/n the 12th and 13thC. There are 11 churches, assembled in 3 groups.

In the afternoon visit another cluster of churches that include the churches of Bete Gabriel and Rafael, Merkorous, Emanuel and Abba Libanos. Bete Emanuel is the best in this group and exceptionally carved with unique Axumite building features, such as the indentations on the walls, symbols of the multi-storey building taken from the stelae of Axum, monkey heads and false windows. The rest of the day is spent absorbing the atmosphere of this extraordinary town with its Tukul or round houses. Made as two-storey buildings, they are unusual in Ethiopia.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 10 :

In the morning enjoy an optional adventurous mule journey to visit Ashetan Maryam (St Mary), built on a ridge with excellent views over the surrounding countryside. The trip takes approximately 4 hours (round trip) and will start early to avoid the heat. will ride the mules up the mountain for approximately an hour, before hiking the rest of the way up the mountain to the church. After visiting the church will walk back down to the village on slippery mountain paths.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 11 :

On route you will experience the rugged mountains and beautiful scenery.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner
Day 12 :

For sight seeing the beautiful landscape and mountain scenery. In the evening, join us for a farewell dinner at one of the best traditional restaurants in Addis, where we sample cuisine from around the country while enjoying folkloric dances and the music of various Ethiopian peoples. After dinner, we transfer you to the airport for your evening flight onward.
- Meals & Drinks : Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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Inclusions

Hotel
Sightseeing

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Terms & Conditions

Payment Terms & Methods :
* Some Advance Percentage of total booking amount
* Airfare/Transport fare to be paid full at one time in advance.

Cancellation & Refund Policy :
* Upon cancellation, refund will be made after deducting the Retention Amount.
* Retention Amount varies as per the number of days left before your package start date.

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